Much has been written about leadership (as opposed to management) and what makes a great leader. A few thoughts here on who benefits from true leadership.

Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and similar leaders have proved again and again that their inspiration and leadership benefited their followers rather than themselves. Lincoln abolished slavery; Gandhi and Mandela led their nations to independence; and King inspired the civil rights movement. They had little to benefit for themselves; Lincoln, Gandhi and King were assassinated while Mandela spent a lot of time in prison, yet their people came out ahead.

A truly “successful” Entrepreneur needs to provide leadership that first benefits his/her stakeholders and society. If and when the stakeholders and community prosper, the Entrepreneur will be rewarded also. If only the Entrepreneur benefits, it is usually short-lived.

A true leader sees a universal need and goes about influencing people to work together to solve the issue at hand. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs first solved a global need and then became rich. They did not start out to become rich.

There are many successful executives, managers and even Presidents, but are they true leaders?